Means for rotating mandrels



Nov. 28, 1944. s. FINDLATER 2,363,723

MEANS FOR ROTATING MANDRELS Filed March 8, 1943 INVENTOR STEVE/wow F DLA TER,

Patented Nov. 28, 1944 MEANS FOR ROTATING MANDRELS Stevenson Findlater,

Jersey Pittsburgh, Pa., assignor to National Tube Company,

a corporation of New Application March 8, 1943, Serial No. 478,482

2 Claims.

This invention relates to mandrels for piercing billets and the like and, particularly to an improved means for rotating such mandrels.

In the steel industry, it is the general practice to force a mandrel through a billet or the like for piercing the same or to reduce the wall thickness of the billet or other workpiece. After the piercing operation and the mandrel has been moved to its retracted position and the pierced billet or workpiece has been stripped therefrom, it is customary to apply a cooling fluid and then a lubricant to the exterior surface of the mandrel before the same is inserted in another billet or workpiece for the next piercing or reducing operation.

Heretofore, it was difficult and practically impossible to obtain an even cooling effect of the mandrel and to lubricate evenly the surface thereof, in that, such mandrels were quite cumbersome and could not be easily rotated especially if the mandrels were long and had a relatively large diameter as is usually the case.

In the present invention, it is proposed to rotate such mandrels after each piercing or reducing operation in order that an even cooling effect of the mandrel will be obtained, and so that the lubricant can be evenly applied thereto. It is to an improved device or means for rotating the mandrel that the present invention relates Accordingly, it is the general object of the present invention to provide an improved means or device for rotating the mandrel after each piercing or reducing operation whereby an even cooling effect of the mandrel is at the same time, an even coating of a lubricant can be quickly and conveniently applied to the surface thereof.

It is another object of this'invention to provide an improved device or means for rotating a mandrel which is simple and inexpensive in its construction and, efficient and effective in its use.

Various other objects and advantages of this invention will be more apparent in the course of the following specification and will be particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawing there is shown, for the purpose of illustration, an embodiment which my invention may assume in practice.

In the drawing:

Figure,1 is a side elevational view of a conventional type vertical press showing the improved mandrel rotating device or means of my invention incorporated therewith;

obtained and, r

Figure 2 is a sectional view taken on line II-II of Figure 1; and

Figure 3 is a sectional view taken on. line III-III of Figure 1.

-Referring more particularly to the drawing, there is shown a conventional type vertical press 2 for piercing heated billets and the like having a head 3 and a base or die holding member 4. There is disposed between the head 3 and the base 4, a pair of diametrically opposed rod-like members 5 upon which there is slidably mounted a yoke-like member 6. The yoke-like member 6 is connected preferably to the outer end of a piston rod or reciprocating member I which is adapted to be actuated, preferably by means of a pneumatic cylinder (not shown). Beyond the yoke-like member 6 in the extreme lower or outer end of the piston rod 1, there is mounted a. mandrel 8 for piercing the billet or workpiece which is positioned in the base 4 in a manner well known to those skilled in the art.

According to the present invention, there is arranged around the inner end of the mandrel 8 at the extreme end of the piston rod 1, a collarlike member 9 having a plurality of radiallyarranged lug-like portions I!) carried thereby and extending outwardly therefrom. The luglike portions [0 are preferably four in number and arranged preferably 90 degreesfrom each other similar in form to a star wheel. 0n the lower or outer side of the movable yoke-like member 6, there is mounted a bracket member l2 by means of machine screws l2 in. which there is mounted, preferably an hydraulic cylinder l3 having a piston rod l4 which is positioned opposite the collar-like member 9 and which is arranged for movement in a plane substantially perpendicular to the axis of mandrel 8. On the outer end of the piston rod 14, there is positioned a finger-like member [5 which is pivotally attached to the outer end of the piston rod I4 as at l6. There is also arranged on the outer end of the piston rod l4 directly opposite the fingerlike member IS, a stop portion H with which the finger-like member is adapted to cooperate. The finger-like member I5 is .pivotally mounted at the upper end thereof so as to be disposed normally in a vertical plane with the lower end extending to a point directly opposite the luglike portions I0.

The improved mandrel rotating means or device of my invention functions in the following manner. After the billet or workpiece has been pierced by the downward movement of the mandrel 8 and the mandrel has been withdrawn to its retracted position, as shown in Figure 1 of the drawing, a suitable pressure-fluid is introduced into the cylinder i3 and the piston rod I thereof is caused to move outwardly therefrom or to the left as shown in the broken lines of Figure 1. In such movement, the finger-like portion i5 car ried thereby strikes one of the lug-like portions i0 arranged in its path with the mandrel 8 and will rotate the same through an are or substantially 90 degrees. After the mandrel has been rotated, a pressure fluid is introduced into the opposite end of the cylinder l3 so that the piston rod i4 is moved to its retracted position or to the right as shown in the full lines of Figure 1. It will be seen that the next succeeding lug-like portion ill will be moved directly in the path of travel or the finger-like portion it after the same has moved a substantial distance past the center of the mandrel and will tend to prevent retractable movement of piston rod ll together with the finger-like portion I! carried thereby. However, when the finger-like portion It strikes this next succeeding lug-like portion l0, it will pivot about its pivotal connection at it and ride over the top of this lug-like portion. After the piston rod H has moved far enough, it will be seen that the finger-like member It will drop clear of this next lug-like portion and fall due to gravity against the stop portion i1 and in position for the next rotative operation of the mandrel. By rotating the mandrel by means of my improved device, it will be seen that the mandrel may be evenly cooled and that a lubricant can be evenly applied to the exterior surface thereof either while the same is being rotated or after each quarter turn thereof.

It will be understood that my improved mandrel turning or rotating device can be conveniently incorporated with a draw bench wherein the mandrel is horizontally disposed as well as a vertically disposed mandrel as shown in the drawing. In such a draw bench, the blank or billet while disposed on the mandrel usually is forced through a series of annular dies so as to reduce the wall thicknessof the blank or workpiece in a well known manner.

While I have shown and described one specific embodiment of my invention, it will be understood that this embodiment is merely for the purpose of illustration and description and that various other forms may be devised within the scope of my invention. as defined in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In combination with a mandrel for piercing billets and the like, means for rotating the mandrel after each piercing operation comprising four radially extending lug-like portions arranged with and projecting outwardly from the periphery of the mandrel with the lug-like portions being spaced substantially degrees from each other, an hydraulic cylinder mounted for movement in a plane substantially perpendicular to the axis of said mandrel, and a finger-like member pivotally mounted on the outer end of the piston rod of said cylinder whichis adapted to cooperate with said lug-like portions, said finger-like member constructed and arranged so as to strike said lug-like portions carried by said mandrel successively so as to rotate the same.

2. In combination with a mandrel for piercing billets and the like, means for rotating the mandrel after each piercing operation comprising four radially extending lug-like portions arranged with and projecting outwardly from the periphery of the mandrel with the lug-like portions being spaced substantially 90 degrees from each other, means mounted for reciprocable movement in a plane substantially perpendicular to the axis of said mandrel. and means carried by said reciprocable means which is adapted to cooperate with said lug-like portions carried by said mandrel so as to rotate the same, said last mentioned means being mounted for movement relative to said reciprocable means and adapted to positively contact said lug-like portions carried by said mandrel so as to rotate the same through an arc of substantially 90 degrees when the reciprocable means is moved in one direction and when the same is moved in the opposite direction adapted to yieldably contact the next succeeding lug-like portion which is disposed in the path of travel of said reciprocable means after the mandrel has been rotated thereby through substantially 90 degrees so as to permit the reciprocable means to return to its normal position without eifecting rotative movement of said mandrel.

STEVENSON FINDLA'IER.

operative 

